I do not agree very much with this statement because, although there are some similarities, there are many more differences in between the experiences of German workers and farmers.
I believe that the experiences of these German people varied a lot, and that the workers had fewer positive experiences than the farmers, but having a similar amount of negative experiences. I also believe that farmers had fewer social positive experiences than the German workers between 1933 and 1939, as they both had pride instilled in them, but the workers also had other experiences.Farmers and workers benefited similarly, as they were both proud of their identities and country, as the Nazis led them to believe that they were needed and superior. Farmers were told that they were the master race and were the ‘blood and soil’ of Germany. Workers were told that they were needed, which instilled a sense of pride in them. The social experiences were very similar, creating feelings of pride.
The economic experiences were, in some cases, very similar as well. They included lower unemployment for both workers and farmers in Nazi Germany.Workers and farmers also benefited very differently, especially in the economically. Workers had cut price holidays, and entertainment. Farmers had the Reich food estate, which meant that they got a guaranteed market for their goods. The workers had no goods to sell, so could not be benefited by this. Workers had lower unemployment, which was less of a problem for the farmers, as they were mainly employed in either their own businesses, or in other ones that were necessary for the country to keep having.
The farmers had protected land, as the bank could no longer seize any land if debts were not paid. This meant that the farmers could work more, even when not paying debts, so could make money to pay off the debts. Workers had no use for protection of land, as their jobs depended, not on land, but on the demand from the German citizens.Farmers and workers lost out in many ways that were economical, as well as a few that were more socially related. Reich entailed farm law meant that banks became unwilling to lend any money to the farmers, as they were not allowed to repossess land when debts weren’t paid. The use of money linked this to the fact that the German workers saved their money, that may not even have been spare, to save up for a new car that they were never given. These reasons would have upset both the farmers and the peasants, as they were both having money either taken away, or restricted from them, which may have been crucial to the survival of them and their families, and their businesses.
The workers’ wages were at an all time low, and with prices being controlled at a higher level than was affordable, the quality of life went down. This also meant that the harder working farmers were held back, and made to work on the same processes as the lazier farmers, which meant that they were held back from making money. This meant that for the farmers too, the high controlled prices were very expensive and completely unaffordable. This was the Nazis trying to save money by not having to pay high wages to lots of people, and by charging a lot for food and other necessities, they made a lot of money. However, this also took its toll on the Germans’ feelings towards their new government and leader, and they began to feel that they were having a worse quality of life than they did when they had the Weimar government.The German farmers and workers lost out in different ways, especially socially, as the two social classes experience many different things socially, as they are in separate classes. The farmers had rural depopulation at 3% per year. This was the opposite to the Nazis aims, as the Nazis wanted people to be more spread out throughout Germany.
This was not very relevant to the workers, as they were mainly in the cities, and did not need land to do their jobs. The workers were controlled by the General Labour Front (DAF), which made them unhappy, as they did not get to make their own decisions. The farmers were controlled by Reich entailed farm law, although it was a different kind of control, as they were mainly restricted by lack on monetary aid. The workers could not strike for better conditions or pay, and they were prevented from moving to better paid jobs, linking back to how the Nazis did not want to pay lots of high salaries and spend a lot of money on that. For the farmers, Reich entailed food law was deemed a failure, which meant that they did not always have a market for their goods, and so could not make money, which, in turn, meant that they could not pay debts, which they could not recover from easily, as the bank refused to lend money to them. The workers lost trade unions, and could not create other unions to help protect their rights and interests, as they were under close watch by the DAF at all times, and they could completely crush their attempts at any trade unions. In conclusion, looking at both the farmers and the workers, I think that their experiences were not very similar as there were few similarities throughout the years, and they lived in very different conditions.
I also believe that although they did have some similarities, many of them were very superficial, and were not main points in their experiences. I think that the similarities were limited, and there were many more differences, although there were at least some similarities. Differences included rural depopulation, losing trade unions, and cut price holidays and entertainment. Similarities included the restriction of money, in one way or another and the use of pride to make the Germans want to be proud of their country.
